New island emerges off the coast of Tokyo after volcano eruption

A new island has emerged off the coast of Tokyo on October 20, 2013, as a result of underwater volcano eruption.

Advisories from the coast guard and the Japan Meteorological Agency said the island is about 200 meters (660 feet) in diameter. The island emerged 1 000 km (620 miles) south of Tokyo, just off the coast of Nishinoshima, a small, uninhabited island in the Ogasawara chain, which is also known as the Bonin Islands.

The last time the volcanoes in that area are known to have erupted was in the mid-1970’s. Much of the volcanic activity occurs under the sea, which extends thousands of meters deep along the Izu-Ogasawara-Marianas Trench.

Pictures taken by the Japanese coast guard showed clouds of heavy smoke, billowing steam, and waters rolling over the newly formed crater.